The Plains of Night
by EternityIsNow
Summary: Years pass, kingdoms fall, death ends each recurring cycle of life, yet dreams… dreams continue on. Oftentimes, the divines choose to not grant our dreams. Every so often, however, these wishes are granted, and amazing things begin to unfold. This is a story of one such dream being fulfilled, and how it changed the lives of four entirely different people forever. Extreme AU.


_Author's Note: A few things to mention before you begin: First of all, this is an extreme, does-this-guy-know-what-he's-doing AU. I use all the characters and do my best to stick to personalities, but all the canon? Yup: out the window. Second of all, I'm jumping into the middle of the plot, here, and explaining things as I go. So no, you won't get *everything* off the bat. And yes, it *is* intentional, but bear with me, and unravel this story as we go._

_Also, this is my old writing style. I tried to write this in my new style, but it didn't work nearly as well, so sorry about that as well. This style is pretty rough around the edges, focusing more on general details rather than specifics. *shrug* Dunno. Tell me what you think, if you want._

_Lastly, I'm open to prompts on this story. Any pairings/scenes/ideas you want, let me have them, and I'll do my best to work them in. I have a very, very, VERY general idea of where I want to take this, but there are countless ways to get to that point, so I'm up to exploring! :D_

_~~~~~Final Fantasy~~~~~_

_Serah, I watch you grow with every passing year, and my only wish is that Mother could see the beautiful, young woman you are growing to be. I can still remember you as a young child, eagerly listening as I told you of Gran Pulse and its history. I remember your face alighting with joy as you read your first words under my guiding hands. I look at you now, and... and I'm proud of you, Serah. Whatever happens, never forget that._

_~~~~~Final Fantasy~~~~~_

Looking into the mirror above the stained oaken dresser, Serah sighed at her own reflection. It seemed with every passing year, her hair was growing lighter, settling on a strawberry-white shade. Brushing her bangs to the side, she stared into her dark blue eyes, noticing how happy they looked. The years had given a certain shimmer to her physical condition. It turned her into the woman she had always wanted to become. It tore her memories down, so it could rebuild her from scratch. It had taken her pain away, only to replace it with joy. She had tried to stay strong… not for herself, but for—for who?

She couldn't even remember anymore.

"_Serah,_" a light voice called from across the NORA house, "are you coming?"

A small smirk played on the corner of Serah's mouth as she shook her head distastefully. Running her hands through her hair one last time, she flicked the light switch of her shared bedroom and started in a light jog toward the calling voice. "Don't be so impatient, _Lightning_, I was just getting ready."

Entering the main lobby of the house, she found Lightning sitting at the counter of Lebreau's café, her ankles crossed over one another as she sipped absentmindedly out of a glass cup. "It's _Claire_ to you, missy," she answered.

Serah giggled as she watched _Claire_ hand her cup over to the proprietor of the café, who took it with a distracted 'thanks'. Jumping off of the stool, Claire dusted her hands off on her leggings before staring down at her little sister's eyes expectantly. "They should be pulling up right now. Shall we?"

Serah nodded vehemently. She had been waiting for this day for the past two weeks, and now it was _finally_ here! Running to the docks, she spotted a small dot off in the distant horizon. It quickly grew larger with every passing moment, its shape morphing from a small dot into an undeniably recognizable shape: an academy jet.

"They're here!" Serah turned to see Maqui jumping up and down on the shore, waving his arms dramatically. Giggling, she turned to see Claire shaking her head with a chuckle. Serah couldn't remember the last time Claire had emitted a genuine laugh, but it seemed even Maqui's shenanigans couldn't even lure one out of her.

Jogging up to the cruiser, the Farron sisters eagerly awaited the hatch to open, revealing the two long awaited visitors. After a moment of anticipation, an airlock broke, and the sunlight pierced the ship's deck. Bright green eyes and sugar-white hair met their gazes, a small, childish smile brightening Hope's face. "Hey!" he welcomed, reaching out his hand toward Serah. She wouldn't have any of it, however, and threw herself at the young man, throwing her arms around his neck in an embrace. "I—uh—nice to see you too, Serah," he choked out.

After the young pinkette released her death grip, Claire stepped forward and ruffled his shaggy hair with a small grin. "Nice to see you again, Hope. I trust you're staying out of trouble?"

"Trust me, I don't let him out of my sight," a new voice answered. Looking up inside the landing bay, the two sisters saw short blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. The shorter, slender woman had all her weight on one foot, her hand to her tilted head, resting on her chin.

"Alyssa! I didn't know you were coming!" Serah exclaimed, rushing to greet her old friend.

Alyssa shrugged carelessly. "The director invited me last minute after some _discussion_ on whether or not I should be here. I finally convinced him I was a necessary travel companion, so he asked me to tag along."

Hope grumbled something unintelligible at that, causing Serah to stifle her laughter. She had missed these two friends over the past few years. Hope had been too busy running the Academy, and Serah had been too busy— she had just been busy.

"Hope, buddy! Long time no see!" The group turned to face the new speaker. Gadot, his arms crossed over his exposed, muscular chest, stood before them, gazing down at Hope, even with the ship's one-foot advantage. "So tell me: how is the Save Cocoon project coming along? Can I expect Vanille and Fang at my doorstep anytime soon?"

The young director laughed, nodding his head enthusiastically. "It shouldn't be too long, now! We're running some preliminary testing on a few theories we have. Nothing too concrete, mind you, but we do have _some_ plans in the works. We can start calibrating for field tests as early as next year."

Yuj took that moment to enter the conversation, brushing a cluster of blue locks out of his eye as he spoke: "The only thing I got out of that statement was 'next year', so I'll mark my calendar."

"He said _field tests_, ditz. They won't be here for at _least_ two years. It could be even longer, if the theories don't pan out. Isn't that right, Hope?" Lebreau asked, turning toward the young man.

She only received a nod in return, before the young man was bombarded with more questions: "Hope, have you heard from Suzh lately? He hasn't dropped by in a few months. That isn't like him," and "Hope, did the academy ever finish its research in the Sunleth Waterscape forests?"

"Give the kid some room, guys." Serah spun around to see Snow standing a few feet away from the rest of the group. His arms were crossed and his legs spread as he took in the conversation unraveling before him. His head quickly nodded in acknowledgement of the two visitors, before he turned back toward the gathering crowd. "I know everyone is excited to see him, but we don't need to get _all_ of our questions answered in the first ten minutes. Let him get settled in for the weekend, and _then_ we interrogate the guy. Sound fair?"

Serah smiled fondly at her hero before nodding soundly. _'Same old Snow: blunt—yet effective.'_

_~~~~~Final Fantasy~~~~~_

_Years pass, kingdoms fall, death ends each recurring cycle of life, yet dreams… dreams continue on. Each generation bears forth another special kind of person. These few, chosen children never lose the gift Etro bestows upon all of mankind at birth: the ability to believe in the impossible. When we dream, we send a silent prayer up to the heavens, asking the divines for our grandest imaginations to become reality. Often times, the goddesses choose to not grant our wish, not for their sakes, but for our own. Every so often, however, these wishes are granted, and amazing things begin to unfold._

_~~~~~Final Fantasy~~~~~_

Darkness. Pure, unending, tangible _darkness_. It was so heavy that the lone figure could practically _feel_ it weighing him down, sucking his will to continue with every exhausting step. No matter what he did, his strength waned faster and faster, dropping him to his knees. He couldn't carry on, no matter how much he knew he was needed. Etro's will or not, he couldn't do this. He met the floor completely, his forehead pressed against the hard, cold sand. Looking out around him, he couldn't _see_ the bushes and trees he knew littered the plain he was currently traversing, but he could _feel_ them. Their presence reached out to him, curling around his senses and lulling him into the dark oblivion of unconsciousness.

Fading… fading away into the peaceful, unending slumber. It called to him, beckoning beyond the rift of time and space. Only peace and joy awaited in that eternal solitude. A fake, replicated happiness—but happiness all the same. He could see her now: Yuel, calling out to him, reaching for his outstretched hand. His name sounded sweet from her tongue, the name caressing his ears, giving him the strength he so desperately needed.

"I—I'm coming, Yuel!" The figure croaked; his throat dysfunctional due to the harsh conditions. He pushed himself up back to his knees, and slowly groaned his way to his feet. Stumbling along in the darkness, he headed toward the distant light. Apparition or not, this was his flicker of hope in the unending see of despair, and he was determined to, if nothing else, die closer to his dreams than he had been in years.

"Keep going! Don't give up!"

The words echoed throughout his mind like a mantra. He repeated them again and again, his knuckles growing white from clasping the deadly blade in his hand. He no longer intended to use it, as he had before. It was now his security, his proof he was still alive. If he could clench this tightly, he could walk. If he could walk, there was still hope. He needed out of this place… he needed to find help…

But most of all, he needed to feel the embrace of the ghostly transparent women beckoning toward him. He needed Yuel.

Just as the mantra flashed through his mind once more, his foot caught on a rock, and he went tumbling. The blade went spiraling through the air, impaling the ground some feet in front of him. His head smacked the rough, packed sand, sending stars throughout his vision. He sardonically laughed at the fact that, apart from Yuel's apparitional light, the stars he was seeing were the brightest thing in this land.

He crawled his way to the protruding weapon, his strength weak, but unfaltering. Grabbing the handle, he pulled himself once more to his shaky feet. Groping through the dark once more, he made his way to the light once more, now more cautious about each and every step. "I won't give up, Yuel. I won't lose you. Not again," he whispered. The anger surging through him redoubled his effort, now stumbling through the darkness more than groping.

"I know you won't. Just keep coming, don't give up."

With one final effort, the figure emerged into the bright circle of light surrounding the ghostly figure of Yuel. He threw himself at the woman, embracing her in a tight hug. His strength faded into joy when his hands clasped onto her back, not believing she was even real. It had been so long—_too_ long, if you asked him—since he had felt her skin against his. "I've missed you, Yuel."

With a single giggle, the young lady pulled away from his strong embrace and looked him in the eye with a small smile. "I've missed you too… Caius."

_~~~~~Final Fantasy~~~~~_


End file.
